Nov 20, 2017; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Pelicans center DeMarcus Cousins (0) reacts as he is called for a foul against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the third quarter at the Smoothie King Center. Cousins was ejected from the game after an officials review of the play determined it to be a flagrant two foul. The Pelicans defeated the Thunder 114-107. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

Tony Allen: Russell Westbrook Flopped After DeMarcus Cousins’ Elbow

With five minutes left in the third quarter, DeMarcus Cousin corralled a rebound after Russell Westbrook missed a layup. Westbrook then went behind Cousins to poke the ball away but got hit with an elbow that sent him flying to the ground. Cousins got hit with a flagrant-2, which is an automatic ejection. After the game, Pelicans guard Tony Allen told Fred Katz of The Norman Transcript that he felt the ruling was unjust.

“I definitely think [Westbrook] flopped,” said Allen. “He took advantage of Cousins’ history. He was going to get the best of that call … You saw him get right back up and missed the free throw. He missed it, so you know what that means. The ball don’t lie.”

We all know about his history with Cousins’ officials, and how his personality has gotten him in trouble at times. The 27-year-old is notorious for picking up technical fouls and is often portrayed as a villain. This incident, however, is particularly interesting.

Russell Westbrook is a solid guy who stands around 6-3 (more likely 6-4) and weighs approximately 200 pounds. Cousins is a mammoth compared to that. The 6-11 Alabama-native has about 70 pounds on Westbrook, and I’d like you to show me a person who wouldn’t drop to the floor after getting hit with an elbow that came complete with a windup.

Forwards and centers always swing their elbows to create space after rebounding. That’s fine. Cousins had already done that. When he made contact with Westbrook, there was no one else around, and DeMarcus swung backward, which was odd. It wasn’t necessary, and that’s what played into the decision.

The last part of Allen’s comment is interesting. Russ, who’s shooting 71 percent from the line, missed the technical free throw. On his nine other chances from the charity stripe, just one didn’t fall. Maybe he did flop. Maybe he saw stars. We’ll never know.

While it was unfortunate to lose DeMarcus Cousins, the Pelicans got the last laugh and eeked out a 114-107 win after Anthony Davis carried the team down the stretch. He finished with 36 points and 15 rebounds. Before departing, Cousins had 18 points, nine rebounds and four assists in 26 minutes.